Lord, what does this mean to us? What are you trying to tell us? Where do we go from here? And how can we arrive there?
In today’s Gospel incident, we read that the family of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary were very dear to Jesus. But Lazarus died while Jesus was away. Upon being informed of the tragedy, Jesus wept visibly, for he loved Lazarus dearly. Martha’s faith in Jesus was so deep that she pleaded for him to bring Lazarus back to life. And Jesus did – out of love for them all! (Jn. 11: 1-45).
My faith and experience tell me that Jesus has always loved us, his Filipino people, just as he loved Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. But at the height of the Marcos regime, we "died" as a nation, or rather, we committed "suicide," poisoned by a graft-ridden system from top to bottom. At the pleading of our own Marthas and Marys, Jesus brought us back to life again, as he did to Lazarus.
But this endemic poison of corruption surreptitiously lingered on, and at the height of the Erap presidency, we "died" once again. Loving Lord that he is, Jesus brought us back to life once more.
Now, for the third time, are we "dying" all over again – suffering from the same poison that we seem to refuse to let go of?
Christianity per se does not lead to corruption. We all know that. But we have a long way to go before the Church can really be creative and effective in converting and strengthening our "Christian" psyche. In all humility, we have to admit that the traditional ways of Christian evangelization have proven to be ineffective – over the many decades, up to this point in time.
Not that we are a naturally immoral people. On the contrary, we are naturally good-natured, family-centered, and peace-loving. But as a Malayan race, we seem to suffer from a weakness of political will, national character, and concern for the common good. Centuries of foreign colonization, including colonial Christianity, and neo-colonialism are at the center of this cultural malaise. Added to this has been the massive influence of a materialistic, consumerist, godless culture from the West.
One crucial mission that God gives us today is to be active and fearless advocates of patriotism and nationalism. To love God is to love our country. This is the land that God gave us. This is the land that feeds us and shelters us. The beauty and the bounty of our nation is designed by God for all, and not just for some. This is our responsibility as a Christian people.
It is in this regard that the Church must do more. To explicitly and actively integrate patriotism and nationalism in our value-formation programs, catechesis, schools, and parish activities. Not just in words and teachings, but in action.
Throughout my education in Catholic schools – high school, college, and priestly formation – there was never an explicit emphasis on patriotism and nationalism. I find this really sad.
The patriotism of our heroes must be kept alive in our minds and hearts for inspiration and motivation. Jose Rizal, Apolinario Mabini, General Malvar, Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora, all the way to Lorenzo Tañada and Ninoy Aquino, among others. And may the Lord continue to lead us in becoming a truly Christian nation.